Draft rigging



June 25, 1935. D. s. BARROWS DRAFT RIGGING Filed Feb. 14, 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 P 1 2 FE 2 6 4 y W a j :4 7 m; w/ 0 V J 5 3 3 9 z m k\ a 7. Wm a ,2 6 3.

INV ENTOR I .DONHLD J .BHEEO Ws ATTORNEY June 25, 1935. D. s. BARROWS DRAFT RIGGING 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Feb. 14, 1933 -EHRROWS BY I ,I 0 41/ 7 lNV NTOR DON/7L0 ATTORNEY Patented June 25, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFIQE DRAFT RIGGING Donald S. Barrows, Rochester, N. Y., assignor to The Symington Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Maryland Application February 14, 1933, Serial No. 656,722

11 Claims. (01. 213 -31) This invention relates to draft rigging and, by release springs, and adapted,upon release, to more particularly; to friction draft gears adapted start moving outwardly prior to movement of for use on railway Vehic1e I the associated friction shoes in order to facili- The principal object of my invention, generete release of said shoes.

5 ally considered, isto provide friction draft gears Other objects and advantages of the invention 5 or cushioning mechanism especially adapted for relating to the particular arrangement and conrailway service and having housings or casings so etluctie'h 0f the various parts W become pp slotted that they are adapted to receive draft m as the ip i n pr ce ds. keys for connection with associated sills, whereby Referring to the drawings illustrating y they give a cushioning action different in buff vention, the s p w of is defin d by the ap- 10 than on draft, or, if the gear is of the singlep ded e1aims: r v ended type said housing need t be n tt as Figure l is a vertical longitudinal sectional view it might then be employed with a conventional Of One embodiment O y. ion echanism, front f 11 wer shown partly in side elevation'and assembled with 15 Another object of my invention is the provision railway draft i e odyin my inv ntion of cushioning mechanism adapted for use with and disposed hetWeeIl the sillshf a a w y V railway draft'rigging and involving a spring and hidefriction barrel which may be closed at one end Figure 2 is a fragmentary Plan, Of the 'mechaand open at the other, or open at both ends, said Ilism Shown i Figure 1 Wit portions of the asopen end or ends being formed with outwardly Sociated g ng and sills shown in horizontal 20 iverging friction surfaces, friction shoes engag- Sectioh- V ing said Surfaces, follgwer engaging th d Figure 3 is a'transverse sectional view on the of said shoes and provided with an extension beline of Figure o g in the direction of tween said shoes, said extension terminating in a the arrows. 1

portion functioning as an intermediate follower, gu e 4 is a transverse sectional view on the 25 resilient means being provided between said exline of Figure 100ki11g in t e dir tionof tension and the inner surfaces of said shoes in t e a rowsthe pockets between the outer and intermediate Figure 5 is perspective w Of t yoke-act follower portions for urging said shoes into ening m n ShOWn in Figu es 1 and 2.

gagementwith the friction surfaces of the'housu e 6 is a partial vertical longitudinal sec- 30 ing, release springs being provided between the tional view and partial side elevational view of intermediate follower portion or portions and another embodiment of my cushioning mechaeither the end wall of the housing or web pornism. tions or abutments provided for said springs in- Figure '7 is a fragmentary plan of the mechtermediate the ends of said housing. anism shown in Figure 6. v

Afurther object of my inventionisthe provision Fig re 8 is a transverse sectional view on the of a yoke-acting device formed with arms slotted line 8-8 of Figur looking he d rection Of for receiving horizontal draft keys, provided at the arrows. 1 its rear end with a transverse connecting portion Figure 9 is a horizontal sectional view on the 40 adapted to engage a backstop, and at its front line 99 of Figure 6, look the d ection of 4 end with a transverse upper connecting portion the arrows.

adapted to function as a striking casting, and a, Referring to the drawings in detail, like parts lower forward connecting portion adapted to supbeing designated by like reference characters, port a wear block which, in turn, is adapted to and first considering the embodiment of my inengage and support an associated coupler. vention illustrated in Figures 1 to 5, inclusive, A still further object of my invention is the there is shown a double-ended series friction provision of a friction draft gear adapted for use draft gear or cushioning mechanism I, particu on a railway vehicle and comprising a housing, larly adapted for use on railway vehicles, and

friction shoes engaging outwardly diverging fricpreferably designed so that it will fit into a draft tion surfaces on said housing, and a combined gear imcket of normal Size In the embodiment member functioning as a carrier for the resilient shown, it is of a length corresponding with that means acting on said shoes, and outer and interof a draft gear pocket of standard size allowing mediate follower members, the intermediate folfor the increased couple tra-Vel p v dlower por ion of said combined member being The gear preferably comprises an intermediate integral with said member and normally acted on friction element, in theform of a spring barrel or housing 2, with its ends open and formed with outwardly diverging walls 3 providing'inclined frictionsurfaces i. Received between said walls. 3 are wedges or friction shoes 5 having surfaces 6 desirably formed with lead inserts 6,

or other means for providing smooth action or obviating sticking, said surfaces normally engaging the friction surfaces 4 on the housing 2. The shoes 5are desirably formed generally U-shaped in transverse section, as shown most clearly in Figure 2, the side flange portions 1 of which lie on either side of, and embrace, resilient-means 8 which, in the present embodiment, take the form of curved plate springs. The curved plate springs 8 are, in turn, received in pockets 9 provided in.

combined members l8, said members l0 each having an outer or follower portion I I, an intermediate or wedge-shaped spreader portion I2,

and an inner or intermediate follower portioni innermost springplates received in corresponding groovesor indentations in the spreader or wedge-shaped portion not the combined member l0, thereby preventing undesired lateral movement o'f'said spring plates and consequent gouging of the walls or flanges which shroud the combined member I 0 and serve to rigidify the connection between the parts thereof, as well as'completing the pockets 9 which receive the curved plate springs 8.

The release of the gear I is desirably effected by relatively long coil springs I6 acting between substantially triangularweb portions I! connecting adjacent walls of the housing 2 at the corners thereof and spring caps l8 formed with spring centering collars Ill-and, in turn, centered on lugs 26 extending inwardly from the intermediate follower-portions l3 of the combined members I0. Thewebs or abutment portions H are also desirably provided with spring centering collars-2|, and the-webs or abutments for the release springs IQ for the member In at one end of the gear are disposed in diagonally opposite corners of the housing and spaced farther from theend of the housing receiving the associated member ID than the other end of said housing,

therebyrallowing for a relatively great length of springs. The springs l6 acting on the member l0- at;one"end of the housing 2, and their abutment webs H are, of course, staggered with those acting on the member ID at the other end of the housing, or disposed in the remaining corners of said housing, as shown most clearly in Figure 4, whereby the springs l6 acting-on the combined members It] at one end of the housingoverlap the corresponding springs I6 acting on the mem-' bers ill at theother end of the housing.

In order to-provide for limiting movement of the housing 2 with respect to the sills 22 between which it is disposed, said housing has its side walls 23 provided with slots 24 normally receiving a horizontal draft key 25 extending between the upper and lower sets of springs 16, the ends of which are, in turn, normallyreceived in slots 26 in cheek plates 21 connected to the sills 22. In order to make the gear I self-contained, the com-, bined members If! are desirably connected by a barlor bolt 2B,.the threaded ends of which pass 14, like the longitudinally through corresponding apertures in the spreader portions I2 of the members It! and receive washers 29 and/or nuts 36 for limiting outward movement of said members Ill. The bar or bolt 28 is looped or slotted at its central portion, as indicated at 3|, to register with the slots 24 in the housing and' receive the key 25, thereby providing for centering said rod 28.

The gear I is desirably supported between the sills 22 by means of carrier irons 32 and 33. r The ends of the carrier iron 32 are desirably connected to the lower flanges 34 of the sills 22 by means ofbolts 35, and nuts 36, to allow for ready removability, while the carrier iron 33, which may be used as amore or less permanent connection between the sills, may bedesirably connected thereto by means of rivets 31.

preferably integrally-connected by a transverse tie portion 43, desirably provided with a notch 44 at its central portion, to facilitate application and removal of the coupler 42 which mayhave a stem 45, the rear portion of which is enlarged or provided with a swivel butt, as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2. The transverse portion 43 is desirably formed to receive a carrier or ,wear block 46 whichmay interlock in place by having one end provided witha tongue 41 received in a correspondingnotch 48, in a corresponding arm 39, the other end provided with a notch 49 corresponding with the notch 48 in the opposite arm 39, said notches cooperating to provide a pocket 59,- normally receiving a locking block 5|, desirably held in place by means ofa cotter 52 extending transversely through the corresponding leg 53 of the block46, the locking block 5| and the corresponding arm 39 of the yoke-acting de- Vice 38. On account of the notch 44 in the transverse portion 43 and the legs 53 extending from the body of the block 46i, the body of said block is spaced a considerable distance above the notched portion 44, thereby serving to support the stem of the coupler 42 at thedesired elevation. In order to provide a block 46' which is strong but relatively light in weight, the legs 53 are desirably connected by the extended flange sirablyslides on a member 56which is preferably a casting which embraces the outer end of the yoke-acting means or yoke 38 and the stem of :the coupler 42, and connects the sills 22 ad jacent the end sill 51. The draft sill front end casting 56 carries what may be considered as the remnant 58 ofga striking casting at its upper portion'and the lower portion 59 provides a flat surface of relatively great area on which the lower surface of the member 43 is adapted to slide.

0 The draft sill front end casting has rearwardly:

forces.

pier '52, said force is transmitted through the key block which moves forwardly therewith.

extending ears 60 connected'to the webs of the *sills f2 and bifurcated to :provide what corresponds with the front ends of slots 61 in the cheek plates 121, said cheek plates, therefore, terminating in open-ended slots or notches which, together with the Efront-end'casting notches, complete the front slots 61 which receive the draft key 62 which serves to connect the coupler '42 to the yoke 38, said key 62 also extending through a slot 63 in the coupler 42, and slot 54 in the arms 39. of the yoke :38.

In addition to therear slot 2-6 and the front slot B-Leach cheek plate 2-? may be provided with an intermediate slot 65 adapted to receive the key which would support the standard or Farlow front follower 'used with a single-ended gear, 'or one of normal length.

The operation of the gear of the present embodiment may be as follows, although it will be understood that, if desired, the gear may be used in 'a diiferent manner, or. one bringing the entlre capacity into action'under both'draft and buffing When draft force is applied to the con- 62 to the yoke 38, thereby effecting .a compression of the rearmost mechanism or rear contractible wedge member of the gear by. forward movement 'of the rear follower or combined member i ll, forcing the rear friction shoes 5 into the housing 2, compressing the curved plate springs B and the corresponding relatively long release springs 56, it being understood that the housing 2 is prevented from forward movement by the-connecting draft key 25, which passes through the slots 2% in the housing, corresponding slots 55 in the arms-39 of the yoke, and the corresponding slots 26 in the cheek plates and/or draft sills of the vericl-e. Inasmuch as the yoke moves forwardly with the coupler on draft, drooping of the coupler is minimized because it is supported on a The release features are desirably those described more in detail with reference to Figs. 6 to 9, in-

elusive. I g

Under the action of buffing forces, however, the coupler 62 engages the front follower or combined member ill, :pushingjit and the friction shoes 5 and plate springs -8 associated therewith into the housing 2, while simultaneously moving said housing rearwardly over the rear friction elements 5 and their springs 8, which rearward movement is permitted on account of the rearward elongation of the slots 55 in the yoke arms and the slots in the cheek plates. During this action, the rear follower or combined member ill is held from rearward movement by means of the backstop M. *It will, therefore, be seen that full compression of the gear is permitted under the action of buffing forces, not only providing for increased buffing capacity, but for a-coupler travel equal to the sum -of the travel permitted by the friction elements at each endof the gear. Although, for convenience, the gear is preferably made so that the travel provided by ea'chend is identical, yet this is not essential, as the travel may =be-different at'eachend of the gear, andt'he capacity 'of each end may be the same or different, as desired.

When the bufiing force on the coupler is released, the springs l-S first act on the intermediate follower portions 13 of the combined anembers Iii to start the release action. Said combined members and springs -8 then slide out 'of the housing 42 until the inner ends of the friction hoes 5 areengaged by thecom'bined members It,

thereby effecting the desired outward movement of said shoes.

the gear as the friction of the convex sides of the springs "8 on the inner surfaces of the friction elements '5 is less than the friction of the outer surfaces of the elements 5 on the outwardly diverging friction surfaces of the housing.

Referring now :tothe embodiment of my invention illustrated'in Figures 6 to 9, inclusive, a gear l is illustrated, the features of which are very similar to the-gear i'of the first embodiment. Inasmuch as the gear l is illustrated on a larger scale than the gear I, the features of the gear l will now be described in detail and compared with those of the gear I.

gear l preferably comprises 'aspring barrel-or housing '2 which is shorter than the housing 2 of the gear I, because the gear l is merely a single-ended gear, or one adapted to interchange with a draft gear of normal size for use This action facilitates release of example, as that illustrated in Figure 2 of the Martin Patent No. 1,803,911 of May 5, 1931. In other words, the gear l is adapted for use with a standard front follower such as indicated "by the reference character 453 in Figure 2 of the Martin patent referred to and is not adapted to give difierentialcushioning action like the gear I of the first embodiment. Y

The housing 2 is open at oneend and formed at said open end with'outwardly diverging walls 3 providing inclined friction surfaces 4% Re ceived between said walls 3* are wedges or shoes b having friction surfaces t normally engaging the friction surfaces l on the housing 2 shoes 5* are desirably generally U --shaped' in trans erse section, as shown most'cl'early in Fig The ure '8, the side flanges l of which lie on either side of or embrace resilient means which, in the present embodiment, have the form of curved plate springs 8 The'curved plate springs 3 are, in turn, received in pockets 9? provided in the combined member 59 7 I I The member "I (l involves three :parts, the outer follower portion li the intermediate shim orspreader portion 52 and the inner or intermediate follower portion 53 all of said portions he ing preferably integral. and connected. by. side wall or flange portions 5 'The side wall portions te are desirably notched or cut away,

indicated at 6i, to receive the flanges l of the friction shoes 5 while allowing a small amount of -cleara'nce :68 t-herebetween. In order to pr vent the concave end portions 69 of the springs 2 from gouging thecomoined member "I li angular wear members it maybe employed, if desired.

The spreader portion if cfthe present embodiment is in section like an isosceles triangle with the base incorporated in the follower portion H Inasmuch as the follower portion pocketed, as indicated at H, a considerable longitudinal distance is gained inside of the gear l thereby making itpossible to use longer coil reengage the surfaces 13 of the friction shoes 5 I 520. with rigging of conventional character, such, for

the friction between the surfaces 6 and 4 reason for this will be readily apparent, as it is The surthe friction surfaces 6 of the friction shoes 5.

By forming the combined member Ill as de-- scribed, not only do we havea structurally adequate intermediate follower, but through the space gained by the angulararrangement, there is no serious reduction in gear capacity, as the space taken up by the spreader portion IZ is practically recovered by the insetting of the surfaces 13 engaged by the springs 8 between the flanges 1 It will also be noted that both ends of the springs rest in suitable pockets and are relatively immovable with respect to the combined member or follower low. This avoids cutting of the follower as when the flexing of the springs involves relative movement between their ends and the surfaces of associated followers. The angular disposal of the spring groups automatically gives .a releasing component, equal to the spring pressuretimes the sine of the angle of inclination of the spreader portion IZ which always acts to force the center wedge out. provides a releasing means independent of the release springs 15 68 between the insideintegral follower portion l 3 and the small ends of the wedges 5 an initial release movement may take place, causing the member lll to move outwardly until it, closes up, the clearance 68 and engagesthe wedges 5 thereby facilitating the releasethereol. This results in what might be termed a quick release of the gear as the follower member w and the springs 8 will tend to move before the friction wedges El start torelease, on account of the friction be- :tween the convex surfaces of the springs and the engaged surfaces '13 on thewedges being less than The obvious that the smooth convex steel spring surface will tend to slide more readily on the surfaces 13 than the flat surfaces G and4 of the corresponding'castings will tend to slide one upon the other. 7

. In order, to-make the gear self-contained, a

central bolt 28 is provided, the head of which is desirably inset in a pocket 74 in the end wall 12 of the housing, and the threaded end extends through the intermediate follower'l3 and spreader l2 to projectinto a pocket 15 in said spreader, allowing for the'application of a nut 30?.

To facilitate application of the gear, the length is desirably initially made less than the pocket in the car in which it is received, by employing a washer 16 of wood or other material of a destructible self-eliminating character, and is initially applied between the nut and the surface of the spreader portion ll against which the nut would normally bear. After the gear is placed in service, the washer will be destroyed and eliminated in a short while, thereby allowing the gear to assume its normal length. y

From the foregoing disclosure, it willbe seen that I have developed a draft gear having important advantages, and the features of said gear may be employed either in a single-ended gear of normal length, or a double-ended gear adapted for use with special rigging to give'a different amount of cushioning action for buffing forces than for draft forces. An important manufacturing advantage of the type of gear disclosed is the use of the single incline provided by the walls 3 01'3, as the case may be, on which are produced pfrictionwsurfacesf which can be readily This, it willbe noted,

On account of the clearance cleaned and gauged. For the same reason, there are no offsetsin the wedges orwedge shoes 5 or 5* themselves, and the some advantages are gained.

Although preferred embodiments of my invention have been illustrated, it will be understood that modifications may be made'within the spirit and scope of the appended claims;

I claim: I

1. In railway draft rigging, in combination with draft sills, a backstop connecting said sills, a,

. yoke-acting means and sills and another key passing through corresponding slots in said coupler, yoke-acting means and sills, said sill slots being elongated rearwardly of the normal position of the housing key to permit rearward 'movement of the housing on buff, while holding it stationary on draft, whereby the cushioning mechanisms at both ends are operated onbuff but only that at the rear end on draft, said yoke-acting means being continued" forwardly at the sides of the coupler and connected at'its front end by an integral portion functioning-as a striking casting,

and a coupler carrier resting on portions of said yoke-acting means beneath said striking casting portion for supporting said coupler.

2. In railway draft rigging, in combination with draft sills, a backstop connecting said sills, a coupler, and yoke-acting means normally engaging said backstop so as to be stationary on buff, a friction draft gear comprising a housing open at both ends, friction elements cooperating with said housing at each end, said yoke-acting means embracing said housing and friction elements for actuating the rear elements on draft, said coupler, yoke-acting means, housing and sills being formed with slots, a key passing through said slots in said housing, yoke-acting means and sills, the slots in said sills'being normally engaged by said key at the front ends and formed so as to allow rearward movement of said key from normal position, whereby the friction elements at both ends are actuated on buff, but only those at the rear end on draft, said yoke-acting means being connected to the coupler, by a key slidable rearwarmy in the former on buff, and extending forwardly of said connection and formed with a portion underlying said coupler for the support diagonally opposite corners being offset longi tudinally in one direction from the center of the housing and those disposed at the other pair of, diagonally opposite corners being offset longitudinally in the other direction from the center of I said housing, the'endsof said housing flaring outwardly to provide inclined friction surfaces, friction elements received in each end of said housing and presenting correspondingly inclined friction surfaces for engagement with the friction surfaces of the housing, resilient means disposed between said friction elements at each end of the housing, carriers for said resilient means, said carriers comprising outer follower portions, intermediate spacer portions for said resilient means, and inner, intermediate follower portions, and release springs disposed between said intermediate follower portions andthe substantially triangular web portions, said release springs at opposite ends of the housing being alternately arranged so that those at one end engage the diagonally disposed webs farthest from that end of the ho ing and those at the other end engage the diagonally disposed Webs longitudinaly spaced from said first-mentioned webs.

4. Cushioning mechanism comprising a housing formed with a slot adjacent the center for receiving a connecting draft key, abutments formed at inside corner portions of said housing, said abutments being arranged in pairs disposed at corresponding longitudinal positions at diagonally opposite corners, those abutments of one pair being offset longitudinally with respect to those of the other pair, the end portions of said housing being provided with inclined friction surfaces, friction elements engaging said inclined friction surfaces at each end of the housing, resilient means acting on said friction elements to keep them in engagement with the friction surfaces of the housing, carriers provided wth pockets receiving said resilient means and friction ele ments, and release springs acting between said abutments and the carriers for effecting release of the gear, the release springs adjacent one end of the housing overlapping those adjacent the other end, thereby providing for relatively long springs.

5. Cushioning mechanism adapted for use with railway draft rigging 7 comprising a housing formed with longitudinally extending Walls connected by a transverse wall, a pair of said longitudinally extending walls diverging outwardly at their ends to provide inclined friction surfaces, friction shoes formed with outer inclined surfaces corresponding with and engaging the friction surfaces on the housing, a combined follower and friction shoe carrier formed with outwardly opening pockets on opposite sides of a Wedge shaped portion and receiving said shoes, resilient means received in said pockets and acting on said shoes, the inner portion of said carrier forming an intermediate follower, and release springs disposed between said intermediate follower portion and the transverse wall of the housing.

6. Cushioning mechanism comprising a housing having inwardly converging opposed fiat interior friction surfaces, a pressure-transmitting member movable inwardly of thehousing, said member having flat abutment surfaces on opposite sides thereof converging inwardly of the mechanism, spring resistance means opposing inward movement of the pressure-transmitting member, curved plate springs engaging the abutment surfaces of the pressure-transmitting member, friction shoes disposed between said curved plate springs and the friction surfaces of the housing, said plate springs having sliding frictional engagement with the shoes, and said shoes having Sliding frictional engagement with the friction surfaces of the housing.

'7. Cushioning mechanism comprising'a housing having opposed interior converging friction surfaces and a contractible wedge member movable into said housing and comprising a carrier portion with a wedge shaped body and laterally extending end portions forming pockets on opposite sides of said body, plate springs disposed in said pockets, and'shoes engaged by said' and springs comprising an outer follower portion, an inner follower portion, and a tapered spreader portion, said member being shrouded by longitudinal webs connecting said follower and spreader portions and providing pockets receiving said shoes and springs. g

9. Cushioning mechanism adapted for use with railway draft rigging comp-rising a housing formed with longitudinally extending walls, a

pair of said walls having diverging portions adjacent one end providing friction surfaces,

a combined member comprising integrally formed longitudinally spaced follower portions connected by an intermediate tapering portion and providing laterally opening pockets, curved plate springs received in said'pockets, friction shoes provided with flanges embracing said springs, and outer friction surfaces engaging the friction surfaces of the housing, said shoes being shorter than the space between the limiting portions of the combined member providing clearance at opposite ends of said shoes, whereby upon movement of said combined member, the springs therein slide on said shoes until the clearance is taken up and then said shoes slide on the friction surfaces of the housing.

10. Cushioning mechanism comprising a housing having opposed interior converging friction surfaces and a contractible wedge member movable longitudinally into and out of said housing, said member comprising an intermediate portion with inclined sides and laterally extending portions at opposite ends of said intermediate portion forming laterally opening pockets, shoes engaging the friction surfaces on the housing, and resilient means disposed between the inclined sides of said portion and said shoes for urging the latter into engagement with said friction surfaces.

11. In railway draft rigging, in combination with draft sills, a backstop connecting said sills, a coupler, and yoke-acting means normally engaging said backstop so as to be stationary on buff, a friction draft gear comprising an intermediate friction element and front and rear friction elements engaging end portions of said intermediate friction element, said yoke-acting means embracing said gear so as to actuate the rear friction elements on draft, said coupler, yoke-acting means, intermediate friction element and sills being formed with slots, a key passing through some of said slots for connecting said intermediate friction element and yoke-acting means to said sills, and another key passing through other of said slots for connecting said coupler and yoke-acting means, said sill slots being elongated rearwardly of the normal position of the keys to permit rearward movement of the intermediate friction element on buff, said yoke-acting means comprising a portion adapted to function as a striking casting and another portion beneath said striking casting portion adapted to function as a coupler carrier,

6 2,006,292 I i said coupler carrier portion being spaced from a {notch at the other end normally registi'ing I the striking casting portion a. distance sufficient with another notch in said means, and a, lock-' to allow forthe application and withdrawal of mg device received inrsadd. registering'notches the stem of. said coupler, and a, carrier block ,for holding the carrier block in place.

i provided with atongue at one end fitting in a corresponding notch in said yoke-acting means, DO NALDS. BARROWS. 

